Iguana 10.2


59IGUANAJune 2003

L E T T E R  F R O M  T H E  P R E S I D E N T

What a great week we had at the IIS conference
on Utila, Honduras. Seventeen IIS members joined
Gunther and Elke Köhler, Alex Gutsche, Karsten
Gees, and the rest of the staff and volunteers of the
Iguana Research and Breeding Station. Our schedule
was quite full and included lectures and discussions
almost every evening during the week.

The Iguana Station staff arranged several daily
field trips of varying degrees of difficulty. Most of the
trips involved efforts to find and see the elusive
Ctenosaura bakeri in its natural habitat. This iguana,
unlike the other sixteen varieties of Ctenosaura, justly
deserves the nickname, “Swamper.” On the first trip
into the swamps, many of our group members sank
past their knees in the mud as they ventured into the
Swampers’ home range.

In a sense, these animals’ comfort with a swampy
environment helps preserve the species. The man-
grove wetlands that this animal calls home are unat-
tractive to developers, and could well be the last
vestige of property remaining on the rapidly develop-
ing island of Utila.

However, all is not well in the world of
Ctenosaura bakeri. Although some local people still
hunt iguanas for food, the work of Gunther and his
colleagues over the years has had a positive impact and
the ban on hunting is commonly observed. Signs
throughout the island inform both locals and visitors
of the protected status of this endemic species.

By far the greatest threat to the continued
survival of Ctenosaur bakeri is the rapid loss of nesting
habitat to tourist-related development. For example,
the group was taken to a 31⁄2 acre beachfront property
that has been a nesting site for up to 500 female
iguanas. We were later informed that this was one of
only two remaining beachfront properties not yet
sold, and the other was not part of the Swamper’s
range! Without a place for the females to lay their
eggs, the species would rapidly dwindle and become
extinct. As a conservation-minded group, we cannot
allow this to happen. The IIS is now concerned with
raising part of the $165,000 for purchasing and
preserving this remaining vestige of nesting habitat.
This is a tangible goal. Already, donations are
approaching $5000 and fundraising is ongoing.

If you are interested in donating or assisting in
raising money for this notable cause, contact the
International Reptile Conservation Foundation (IRCF
c/o John or Sandy Binns, 3010 Magnum Drive, San
Jose, CA 95135) for more information. All donations
are tax-deductible.

You should think about joining the group on our
next adventure.

Joe Wasilewski

A large male Swamper basks next to his tree hole in the
vicinity of Rock Harbor. This animal had toe-clips indicating
it had been released from the Utila Iguana Research and
Breeding Station a number of years ago. It was likely one of
the original animals adopted through the Utila Iguana
Adoption Program. Photograph by John Binns.